Drums at Dusk (review)

Arna Bontemps begins Drums at Dusk, his novel of rather serious themes, with a sly note of humor: "Only ghosts walked on that pathway now. Ghosts and people so old they were about to be ghosts" (1). As with the entire novel, humor has its place in the author's attempt to depict the social practices and political beliefs of various classes of French colonials in Saint Domingue at the start of the Haitian Revolution in 1791.

Published in 1939 by a well-known and well-respected Harlem Renaissance author, Arna Bontemps's Drums at Dusk focuses on the white, privileged people of French descent and not the country's Blacks or Creoles. The famed leader of the revolution, Toussaint L'Overture, is a minor character that occupies little space in this novel, but does appear at pivotal times. Bontemps's hero is the conflicted Diron Desautels, a French romantic gentleman who sympathizes with the enslaved persons. Diron is a romantic character who is handsome and desired by the ladies, respects social expectations by escorting a widow, risks his life for the young Celeste, and who engages in a public street brawl—a good old-fashioned sword fight.

Intertwined with the romance of chivalry, there are several themes that emerge in this novel. First and foremost, Bontemps's attention to Haiti invites comparisons between that society and colonial Louisiana. Bontemps was born in Alexandria, Louisiana, but moved with his family to California where he was reared. He returns to his home state, however, in this novel, which reminds readers of the connection between Louisiana and Haiti. Although France was not in occupation of Louisiana at the time of the Revolution, southern Louisiana became one of the preferred places for those fleeing Haiti to begin life anew. In his novel, he gives careful consideration to identifying characters: they are French, Creole, Black, Savage, or Brute. These descriptive categories give readers an understanding of how French culture and colonial practices intersect with the characters' class and race-based relationships with one another, allowing readers an opportunity to understand what motivates characters' actions.

Secondly, while the women characters lack complexity, the diverse roles they play are significant in moving the plot forward. There are women who are innocent and others who are naïve and still others who are manipulative. One of the most prominent is the young and innocent Celeste. She is favored by Madam Bayou de Libertas, the wife of the Breda plantation's overseer, who shows a desire to protect her from the spoils of Haitian society. While the French colonialists may fear the enslaved as their enemies, there are other more immediate threats, Bontemps makes clear. After she is separated from her friends as they flee Breda, Celeste is literally ravished by the aristocracy—represented by Count Armand de Sacy—the contemptuous representative of power attained by force.

In contrast to Celeste, Madame Paulette Viara is feisty and energetic widow. No sooner than violence erupts, she pulls a gun from her expensive bustier and informs Diron that she is armed, just in case he gets any ideas. Previous to that moment, she has devised ways to keep him close to her through manipulation of social expectations of gentlemen. It does not take Diron long to figure correctly that the woman has made herself a widow by having her "sympathizer" husband killed; this knowledge ensures she is capable of causing his death as well. In order to protect himself from her, Diron has her locked away, but only after she fights him with all her considerable strength. Readers might admire her for her astute political awareness and aggression at a time when women are expected to remain silent and submissive. Her action of dispatching sword-fighting goons upon her escape to kill Diron spotlights his move towards romantic heroism and the significance of his decision to sympathize with the slaves. Diron is forced to valiantly defend himself and to ride off into the proverbial sunset to rescue Celeste, the woman whom...